


New Beginnings

by oneatatime



Category: Kamen Rider Blade, Kamen Rider Zi-O
Genre: I PROMISE IT ENDS HAPPILY, M/M, as my wussitude knows no bounds, because some of that was Wrong Wrong Wrong, fix-it for the finale of Zi-O, in terms of Zi-O and Blade, spoilers for the finale of Zi-O
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-10-06 21:03:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20513453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oneatatime/pseuds/oneatatime
Summary: He held Hajime’s hand as their world ended around them.





	New Beginnings

They’d been given a new beginning. 

Neither of them had been able to sleep last night. It was par for the course, really. Even with all the good things that came from being a Rider (or a giant bug), there was also a hell of a lot of trauma and fear around the edges of everything. But it made so much damn difference to be unable to sleep with Hajime by his side, so he didn’t feel too bad.

He put on shorts and a t-shirt and went out for a run at five, promising to come back safe. (It was progress that Hajime even let him leave his little house alone at all; for the first few weeks he’d barely let Kenzaki out of arm’s reach. Kenzaki hadn’t known how the hell to respond to that, beyond shy enjoyment.) 

Kenzaki came back just after six, puffing but feeling revitalised, and noted with glee that Hajime had set the coffee maker running for him. 

…Oh. Kenzaki leaned against the doorway, his coffee cup warm in his hands. (The milk was from Kotarou, of course.) He smiled as he gazed at Hajime, who’d fallen asleep on his keyboard again. Introduce a man to Photoshop and lose him forever. 

He put down the coffee for the moment, and found Amane-chan’s knitted, lumpy monstrosity of a blanket on the couch. He carefully tugged it up over Hajime. Someone was about to discover yet again that human bones and muscles didn’t respond so well to sleeping in a chair. 

His phone bzzted in his pocket. A message from Tachibana-san. 

_Hey. Still human? Meet me for lunch at 12 today, both of you._

He grinned, raising his eyebrows, and counted to three in his head. His phone went bzzt again. 

_Please._

He sent back a thumbs up and a spade emoji, then opened up his browser. 

He scanned the news, eyebrows lowering once again down over his nose. Too much going on that he couldn’t do anything about, not now he wasn’t a Rider any more. He and Hajime (and Tachibana-san, and Mutsuki, and Amane-chan, and Hirose, and everyone else they knew) helped out where they could, if they saw someone in trouble. But it wasn’t the same as being able to actually fight. He couldn’t show up and help out the new kids, not like before. Had to leave it to them.

“Trouble?” Hajime yawned at him.

Kenzaki nodded. “Always. Getting worse, I think.” 

…and then things started to shimmer around him, and he lost what he’d been doing this morning. How did he get here? When did he get out of bed? The whole scene shimmered, iridescent, wavy lines swirling through it. 

At first he thought he was having a stroke. His hand to his head, he grabbed onto the wall, glad he’d put down his – his – what had he been holding? 

“_Kenzaki_.” Hajime’s voice was intense and panicky. “How long have you-?” 

He met Hajime’s eyes on the second attempt, and saw realisation dawning there. “Time changing,” he grunted, and Hajime nodded. 

Someone was changing time. They were losing it. Losing it all. How far back would it go? Hajime was on his feet. He reached out, and Kenzaki’s fingers closed around his hand. 

They’d been given a new beginning, and every beginning had an end. He just wished it hadn’t been quite so soon. Losing Hajime to Photoshop wasn’t like this. 

He jolted, feeling Joker’s physiology ripple through his, flaming to life as his blood burned. He cried out with the pain of it, the shock of it, a fraction of a second before Hajime did the same. 

He held Hajime’s hand as their world ended around them. 

* * * 

Everything was suspended for a long, timeless moment. 

Maybe he only heard because he’d met Tokiwa Sougo. Maybe it was that everyone could hear this. Well. It wasn’t quite hearing, but it certainly wasn’t sight, or touch, or any other sense that Kenzaki knew. The awareness just arrived in his brain, without duration. 

The mind in charge was so very tired. Even in this timeless space, without duration, without breath, there was limited time available to do whatever this was. 

It – Sougo – considered elements of the world, passing swift judgement on this and that. Kenzaki felt him resurrect his dead friends, and he was fiercely glad of that even as he mourned their deaths. He felt him change this, and that.

Then he felt Sougo’s attention turn to him.

Hajime was there with him, suspended in the same way, and for what would have to be their last action he felt Hajime call **_no_** just as he did. Kenzaki fought to tug the both of them out from under Sougo’s awareness, as there were others that needed it more, needed to be fixed. Being separated wasn't - it wasn't that bad. They could cope. 

They could manage, whatever it took. He’d fight harder this time, he’d find a way to get messages through. 

Tachibana-san was going to be pissed at him. 

Sougo was running out of time, even here. Kenzaki fought, shoved his no at Sougo alongside Hajime’s, but it was no good.

* * * 

They woke on the floor in Hajime’s cabin. Holding hands. 

“Human…?” Hajime asked hoarsely, and Kenzaki nodded at him. 

His head felt like it was about to fall off. He closed his eyes, still gripping Hajime’s hand. “Yeah. Yeah, Zi-O fixed it.” 

It was a year ago – there really should be one of those handy calendars that they always had in time travel movies, so he could look up at the wall and confirm it was 2018, but he knew. He didn’t need the damn calendar. 

Hajime pulled him close, and with a laugh and a choked sob, Kenzaki buried his face in Hajime’s shoulder. 

* * * 

Was watched Sougo as he raced out of school with his friends, and he smiled. 

Sougo looked up at him before they rounded the corner. His eyes showed no sign of recognition. There was no sudden shout of, “Was, get down here!” 

Nothing.

Was didn’t mind. Everyone was happy. He was delighted that Sougo had somehow managed to rescue Geiz-kun, and Tsukuyomi-kun, and even Heure and Hora. He gripped the railing, and watched as they raced out of sight. 

Was had his book, and while he didn’t understand what was now written in it, he would figure it out eventually. He wasn’t lonely, not at all. 

He sighed, and turned to walk to the stairwell...

He walked directly into a smaller man with a mop of reddish brown hair, wearing a long trenchcoat. “No,” Hajime said.

Was blinked at him. “Kamen – Kamen Rider Chalice?” 

“Yes. It’s our fault. Come with me.” 

Was shook his head. “Nothing is wrong. Everything’s fine.” 

“Try! Don’t tell yourself you’re not lonely,” Chalice hissed at him, and to his absolute horror Was felt his breath catch in his throat. 

He swallowed, and when Chalice led the way to a different stairwell, he followed. 

* * * 

It didn’t look great when an adult accosted a kid in his school uniform, even though said kid was eighteen, and had very recently saved the world. So Kenzaki was careful as he talked to him, and careful to make eye contact with the other four to get them onside too. 

“In the end, I owe you a debt,” Kenzaki told him. “And you owe him. You have friends. I know what it’s like, I know you think you’re happy enough. But you have one more than you think. Just come see him. Please.” 

Sougo looked utterly mystified, but Tsukuyomi and Geiz grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him, and then he grinned suddenly. 

“All right.” 

They reached the bottom of the stairwell on the same side as the park. The others hung back, as Kenzaki and Sougo walked forward. 

There was a great and terrible hope on Was’ face, and Kenzaki cursed himself for a moment. If this didn’t work, they would’ve crushed the man. He stepped forward, moving with ceremonious grace, as Hajime watched from behind him, arms folded. 

“My name is Was,” he said softly. He bowed elegantly, as if moving to music.

Sougo was silent. For far too long. Kenzaki caught Hajime’s eyes, and Hajime glowered in worry at him.

Was began to turn, but Sougo’s hand shot out to grab his arm. 

“My king?” 

Kenzaki felt his lips begin to curve up.

“_Was_,” Sougo breathed. 

Kenzaki nodded to Hajime, and as they walked away through the park Sougo hugged Was fiercely, with the other four racing over. 

Another new beginning. Kenzaki decided that this one would last longer. 

There. Fixed. And there was no one around for either of them to be embarrassed about as they strolled across the grass. So Kenzaki reached for Hajime’s hand.


End file.
